Ever since Marlon Wayans was cast as Ripcord in G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, there have been moans and groans all over the 'Net from those who feel that Wayans' inclusion in G.I. Joe's ranks was a sure sign that director Stephen Sommers (The Mummy) was stuffing Rise of Cobra with the kind of lame one-liners and jokes that can be a death-knell for action flicks.

Well, Marlon Wayans wants everyone to know that yes, he is aware that he is Marlon Wayans; but no, G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra will not be the action-packed second-coming of White Chicks or Little Man.

(Is it a bad thing when you have to do a public service announcement about yourself?)

Here's what M. Wayans had to say to MTV News about his role in as Ripcord:

“It wasn’t about ‘Hey, let it be the me comedy show’,” promised Wayans. “It is G.I. Joe. It’s supposed to be badass action. So you commit to it - and I found the fun in being a badass, for once in my life.”

For my part, I've never been concerned about Marlon Wayans. I saw Requiem For A Dream and was blown away by his performance (not so much because it was the greatest performance ever; more that it was a great performance from a completely unexpected source: Marlon Wayans). Marlon has already proven (at least to me) that when required, he can properly balance comedic-stylings with gravitas and emotion.

In fact, the entire supporting cast of G.I. Joe (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Said Taghmaoui, Wayans, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt) have always been the safe bets, as far as I'm concerned. It's the main players I'm more worried about (Rachel Nichols, Karolina Kurkova, Channing Tatum, Dennis Quaid and Sienna Miller). Ray Park as Snake Eyes and Christopher Eccleston as Destro will both turn in great performances, I'm certain.

To read MTV's full interview with Marlon Wayans (how he hated jumping out of helicopters and wearing the skin-tight "accelerator suits") you can do so by going here.

In the meantime: do Marlon Wayans' claims about G.I. Joe provide you with any kind of reassurance? Or do you still have a nagging feeling that this film is doomed?

G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra hits theaters on August 7, 2009.

Source: MTV News